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Now comes ABC News interview tonight with Palin -- her first real interview with a mainstream journalist since the Republican convention -- and already the Alaska mayor is saying stuff that makes me want to hide the nuclear button. Even if Obama gets elected.

Here's some Palin quotes from an early excerpt circulated by ABC. Rebuttal are my words in bold (click here to see video):

The Governor advocated the accession of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO. When asked by Gibson if under the NATO treaty, the U.S. would have to go to war if Russia again invaded Georgia, Palin responded: "Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help.

"And we've got to keep an eye on Russia. For Russia to have exerted such pressure in terms of invading a smaller democratic country, unprovoked, is unacceptable," she told ABC News' Charles Gibson in an exclusive interview.

Palin advocated the accession of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO, meaning that if attacked again in the future, the United States would be bound to go to war.

"I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help," she said.

Palin seems unaware that Russia attacked Georgia because Georgia tried to annex disputed lands with independent governments which claim the right to be separate from Georgia. The U.S. has been fueling tensions there by encouraging Georgia to align with NATO and suggesting we might defend them. But is it really worth risking war with a nuclear nation over Georgia's land grab?

Palin, who obtained her first passport this year and who has served just two years as Alaska's governor, told Gibson that she was up to the challenge of being Sen. John McCain's vice president.

"I answered [McCain]'yes' because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we're on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can't blink.

Palin defended a previous statement in which she reportedly characterized the war in Iraq as "task from God". Gibson quoted her as saying: "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." But Palin said she was referencing a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln.

"I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words. But what Abraham Lincoln had said, and that's a repeat in my comments, was let us not pray that God is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on God's side."

Unfortunately, the numerous YouTube video clips of the speech Gibson quotes do not indicate she was quoting anyone. So why didn't Gibson challenge her on this point?

When asked if she believed she was "sending [her] son on a task that is from God," Palin said: "I don't know if the task is from God, Charlie. What I know is that my son has made a decision. I am so proud of his independent and strong decision he has made, what he decided to do and serving for the right reasons and serving something greater than himself and not choosing a real easy path where he could be more comfortable and certainly safer."

I hope ABC anchor Charlie Gibson is tougher in the full interview than he looks here. Because it takes a lot of effort for journalists to derail candidates when they are determined to talk image rather than substance.